Comments on: The Mighty Debt Purge of 2009 http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/04/the-mighty-debt-purge-of-2009/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:07:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mulga Mumblebrain http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/04/the-mighty-debt-purge-of-2009/#comment-44289 Mulga Mumblebrain Sat, 25 Apr 2009 07:14:21 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=7900#comment-44289 The Alba Declaration is a marvellous document. One can see why the parasitic and psychopathic Right so detest Chavez-it is because they fear him and the truths he is helping to propagate. In Australia, as with all media coverage of all subjects in the business owned propaganda sewer of the mainstream media, the universal and only acceptable opinion is that Chavez is a demon-figure. The democratically elected Chavez, in whose country no political prisoners exist, and where none are tortured (certainly not waterboarding 183 times in a single month!!) is a 'tyrant', 'a dictator' and a 'madman'. He is particularly reviled by the extensive menagerie of extreme Right Zionists who infest the local media, I assume because he treats Palestinians as human beings., and doesn't fall to his knees shouting Hosannahs whenever the word 'Israel' is uttered.All discussion on Venezuela, even in the Government controlled media is negative, but in this country that absolute uniformity is par for the course. We have had media representatives in China for thirty-five years, and the Chinese purchases of our commodities keep the local economy afloat, but I can recollect not a single positive article, from scores of typical functionaries of our 'free press', concerning China and its system over all those years. In fact recently there has been a sudden and startling uptick in Sinophobic articles and sly innuendo and racist fearmongering over China's waxing power. No doubt the local elites, who not only receive their orders from Washington but also clearly see their highest loyalty being to the global hegemon and guarantor of perpetual rule by the forces of 'Western, Judeo-Christian Civilization',have been instructed to prepare the gullible public for the coming showdown. The Alba Declaration is a marvellous document. One can see why the parasitic and psychopathic Right so detest Chavez-it is because they fear him and the truths he is helping to propagate. In Australia, as with all media coverage of all subjects in the business owned propaganda sewer of the mainstream media, the universal and only acceptable opinion is that Chavez is a demon-figure. The democratically elected Chavez, in whose country no political prisoners exist, and where none are tortured (certainly not waterboarding 183 times in a single month!!) is a ‘tyrant’, ‘a dictator’ and a ‘madman’. He is particularly reviled by the extensive menagerie of extreme Right Zionists who infest the local media, I assume because he treats Palestinians as human beings., and doesn’t fall to his knees shouting Hosannahs whenever the word ‘Israel’ is uttered.All discussion on Venezuela, even in the Government controlled media is negative, but in this country that absolute uniformity is par for the course. We have had media representatives in China for thirty-five years, and the Chinese purchases of our commodities keep the local economy afloat, but I can recollect not a single positive article, from scores of typical functionaries of our ‘free press’, concerning China and its system over all those years. In fact recently there has been a sudden and startling uptick in Sinophobic articles and sly innuendo and racist fearmongering over China’s waxing power. No doubt the local elites, who not only receive their orders from Washington but also clearly see their highest loyalty being to the global hegemon and guarantor of perpetual rule by the forces of ‘Western, Judeo-Christian Civilization’,have been instructed to prepare the gullible public for the coming showdown.

]]> By: Tennessee-Chavizta http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/04/the-mighty-debt-purge-of-2009/#comment-44188 Tennessee-Chavizta Fri, 24 Apr 2009 02:34:05 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=7900#comment-44188 THE DECLARATION OF THE COUNTRIES MEMBER OF ALBA AGAINST THE BARBARIC CAPITALIST SYSTEM THAT IS KILLING US ALL !! http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/4390 we, the member countries of ALBA believe that there is no consensus for the adoption of this draft declaration because of the reasons above stated, and accordingly, we propose to hold a thorough debate on the following topics: 1. Capitalism is leading humanity and the planet to extinction. What we are experiencing is a global economic crisis of a systemic and structural nature, not another cyclic crisis. Those who think that with a taxpayer money injection and some regulatory measures this crisis will end are wrong. The financial system is in crisis because it trades bonds with six times the real value of the assets and services produced and rendered in the world, this is not a “system regulation failure”, but a integrating part of the capitalist system that speculates with all assets and values with a view to obtain the maximum profit possible. Until now, the economic crisis has generated over 100 million additional hungry persons and has slashed over 50 million jobs, and these figures show an upward trend. 2. Capitalism has caused the environmental crisis, by submitting the necessary conditions for life in the planet, to the predominance of market and profit. Each year we consume one third more of what the planet is able to regenerate. With this squandering binge of the capitalist system, we are going to need two planets Earth by the year 2030. 3. The global economic crisis, climate change, the food crisis and the energy crisis are the result of the decay of capitalism, which threatens to end life and the planet. To avert this outcome, it is necessary to develop and model an alternative to the capitalist system. A system based on: - solidarity and complementarity, not competition; - a system in harmony with our mother earth and not plundering of human resources; - a system of cultural diversity and not cultural destruction and imposition of cultural values and lifestyles alien to the realities of our countries; - a system of peace based on social justice and not on imperialist policies and wars; - in summary, a system that recovers the human condition of our societies and peoples and does not reduce them to mere consumers or merchandise. 4. As a concrete expression of the new reality of the continent, we, Caribbean and Latin American countries, have commenced to build our own institutionalization, an institutionalization that is based on a common history dating back to our independence revolution and constitutes a concrete tool for deepening the social, economic and cultural transformation processes that will consolidate our full sovereignty. ALBA-TCP, Petrocaribe or UNASUR, mentioning merely the most recently created, are solidarity-based mechanisms of unity created in the midst of such transformations with the obvious intention of boosting the efforts of our peoples to attain their own freedom. To face the serious effects of the global economic crisis, we, the ALBA-TCP countries, have adopted innovative and transforming measures that seek real alternatives to the inadequate international economic order, not to boost their failed institutions. Thus, we have implemented a Regional Clearance Unitary System, the SUCRE, which includes a Common Unit of Account, a Clearance Chamber and a Single Reserve System. Similarly, we have encouraged the constitution of grand-national companies to satisfy the essential needs of our peoples and establish fair and complementary trade mechanisms that leave behind the absurd logic of unbridled competition. 5. We question the G20 for having tripled the resources of the International Monetary Fund when the real need is to establish a new world economic order that includes the full transformation of the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO, entities that have contributed to this global economic crisis with their neoliberal policies. 6. The solutions to the global economic crisis and the definition of a new international financial scheme should be adopted with the participation of the 192 countries that will meet in the United Nations Conference on the International Financial Crisis to be held on June 1-3 to propose the creation of a new international economic order. 7. As for climate change, developed countries are in an environmental debt to the world because they are responsible for 70% of historical carbon emissions into the atmosphere since 1750. Developed countries should pay off their debt to humankind and the planet; they should provide significant resources to a fund so that developing countries can embark upon a growth model which does not repeat the serious impacts of the capitalist industrialization. 8. Solutions to the energy, food and climate change crises should be comprehensive and interdependent. We cannot solve a problem by creating new ones in fundamental areas for life. For instance, the widespread use of agricultural fuels has an adverse effect on food prices and the use of essential resources, such as water, land and forests. 9. We condemn the discrimination against migrants in any of its forms. Migration is a human right, not a crime. Therefore, we request the United States government an urgent reform of its migration policies in order to stop deportations and massive raids and allow for reunion of families. We further demand the removal of the wall that separates and divides us, instead of uniting us. In this regard, we petition for the abrogation of the Law of Cuban Adjustment and removal of the discriminatory, selective Dry Feet, Wet Feet policy that has claimed human losses. Bankers who stole the money and resources from our countries are the true responsible, not migrant workers. Human rights should come first, particularly human rights of the underprivileged, downtrodden sectors in our society, that is, migrants without identity papers. Free movement of people and human rights for everybody, regardless of their migration status, are a must for integration. Brain drain is a way of plundering skilled human resources exercised by rich countries. 10. Basic education, health, water, energy and telecommunications services should be declared human rights and cannot be subject to private deal or marketed by the World Trade Organization. These services are and should be essentially public utilities of universal access. 11. We wish a world where all, big and small, countries have the same rights and where there is no empire. We advocate non-intervention. There is the need to strengthen, as the only legitimate means for discussion and assessment of bilateral and multilateral agendas in the hemisphere, the foundations for mutual respect between states and governments, based on the principle of non-interference of a state in the internal affairs of another state, and inviolability of sovereignty and self-determination of the peoples. We request the new Government of the United States, the arrival of which has given rise to some expectations in the hemisphere and the world, to finish the longstanding and dire tradition of interventionism and aggression that has characterized the actions of the US governments throughout history, and particularly intensified during the Administration of President George W. Bush. By the same token, we request the new Government of the United States to abandon interventionist practices, such as cover-up operations, parallel diplomacy, media wars aimed at disturbing states and governments, and funding of destabilizing groups. Building on a world where varied economic, political, social and cultural approaches are acknowledged and respected is of the essence. 12. With regard to the US blockade against Cuba and the exclusion of the latter from the Summit of the Americas, we, the member states of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our America, reassert the Declaration adopted by all Latin American and Caribbean countries last December 16, 2008, on the need to end the economic, trade and financial blockade imposed by the Government of the United States of America on Cuba, including the implementation of the so-called Helms-Burton Act. The declaration sets forth in its fundamental paragraphs the following: “CONSIDERING the resolutions approved by the United Nations General Assembly on the need to finish the economic, trade and financial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba, and the statements on such blockade, which have been approved in numerous international meetings. “WE AFFIRM that the application of unilateral, coercive measures affecting the wellbeing of peoples and hindering integration processes is unacceptable when defending free exchange and the transparent practice of international trade. “WE STRONGLY REPEL the enforcement of laws and measures contrary to International Law, such as the Helms-Burton Act, and we urge the Government of the United States of America to finish such enforcement. “WE REQUEST the Government of the United States of America to comply with the provisions set forth in 17 successive resolutions approved by the United Nations General Assembly and put an end to the economic, trade and financial blockade on Cuba.” Additionally, we consider that the attempts at imposing the isolation of Cuba have failed, as nowadays Cuba forms an integral part of the Latin American and Caribbean region; it is a member of the Rio Group and other hemispheric organizations and mechanisms, which develops a policy of cooperation, in solidarity with the countries in the hemisphere; which promotes full integration of Latin American and Caribbean peoples. Therefore, there is no reason whatsoever to justify its exclusion from the mechanism of the Summit of the Americas. 13. Developed countries have spent at least USD 8 billion to rescue a collapsing financial structure. They are the same that fail to allocate the small sums of money to attain the Millennium Goals or 0.7% of the GDP for the Official Development Assistance. Never before the hypocrisy of the wording of rich countries had been so apparent. Cooperation should be established without conditions and fit in the agendas of recipient countries by making arrangements easier; providing access to the resources, and prioritizing social inclusion issues. 14. The legitimate struggle against drug trafficking and organized crime, and any other form of the so-called “new threats” must not be used as an excuse to undertake actions of interference and intervention against our countries. 15. We are firmly convinced that the change, where everybody repose hope, can come only from organization, mobilization and unity of our peoples. As the Liberator wisely said: Unity of our peoples is not a mere illusion of men, but an inexorable decree of destiny. — Simón Bolívar THE DECLARATION OF THE COUNTRIES MEMBER OF ALBA AGAINST THE BARBARIC CAPITALIST SYSTEM THAT IS KILLING US ALL !!

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/4390

we, the member countries of ALBA believe that there is no consensus for the adoption of this draft declaration because of the reasons above stated, and accordingly, we propose to hold a thorough debate on the following topics:

1. Capitalism is leading humanity and the planet to extinction. What we are experiencing is a global economic crisis of a systemic and structural nature, not another cyclic crisis. Those who think that with a taxpayer money injection and some regulatory measures this crisis will end are wrong. The financial system is in crisis because it trades bonds with six times the real value of the assets and services produced and rendered in the world, this is not a “system regulation failure”, but a integrating part of the capitalist system that speculates with all assets and values with a view to obtain the maximum profit possible. Until now, the economic crisis has generated over 100 million additional hungry persons and has slashed over 50 million jobs, and these figures show an upward trend.

2. Capitalism has caused the environmental crisis, by submitting the necessary conditions for life in the planet, to the predominance of market and profit. Each year we consume one third more of what the planet is able to regenerate. With this squandering binge of the capitalist system, we are going to need two planets Earth by the year 2030.

3. The global economic crisis, climate change, the food crisis and the energy crisis are the result of the decay of capitalism, which threatens to end life and the planet. To avert this outcome, it is necessary to develop and model an alternative to the capitalist system. A system based on:

- solidarity and complementarity, not competition;
- a system in harmony with our mother earth and not plundering of human resources;
- a system of cultural diversity and not cultural destruction and imposition of cultural values and lifestyles alien to the realities of our countries;
- a system of peace based on social justice and not on imperialist policies and wars;
- in summary, a system that recovers the human condition of our societies and peoples and does not reduce them to mere consumers or merchandise.

4. As a concrete expression of the new reality of the continent, we, Caribbean and Latin American countries, have commenced to build our own institutionalization, an institutionalization that is based on a common history dating back to our independence revolution and constitutes a concrete tool for deepening the social, economic and cultural transformation processes that will consolidate our full sovereignty. ALBA-TCP, Petrocaribe or UNASUR, mentioning merely the most recently created, are solidarity-based mechanisms of unity created in the midst of such transformations with the obvious intention of boosting the efforts of our peoples to attain their own freedom. To face the serious effects of the global economic crisis, we, the ALBA-TCP countries, have adopted innovative and transforming measures that seek real alternatives to the inadequate international economic order, not to boost their failed institutions. Thus, we have implemented a Regional Clearance Unitary System, the SUCRE, which includes a Common Unit of Account, a Clearance Chamber and a Single Reserve System. Similarly, we have encouraged the constitution of grand-national companies to satisfy the essential needs of our peoples and establish fair and complementary trade mechanisms that leave behind the absurd logic of unbridled competition.

5. We question the G20 for having tripled the resources of the International Monetary Fund when the real need is to establish a new world economic order that includes the full transformation of the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO, entities that have contributed to this global economic crisis with their neoliberal policies.

6. The solutions to the global economic crisis and the definition of a new international financial scheme should be adopted with the participation of the 192 countries that will meet in the United Nations Conference on the International Financial Crisis to be held on June 1-3 to propose the creation of a new international economic order.

7. As for climate change, developed countries are in an environmental debt to the world because they are responsible for 70% of historical carbon emissions into the atmosphere since 1750. Developed countries should pay off their debt to humankind and the planet; they should provide significant resources to a fund so that developing countries can embark upon a growth model which does not repeat the serious impacts of the capitalist industrialization.

8. Solutions to the energy, food and climate change crises should be comprehensive and interdependent. We cannot solve a problem by creating new ones in fundamental areas for life. For instance, the widespread use of agricultural fuels has an adverse effect on food prices and the use of essential resources, such as water, land and forests.

9. We condemn the discrimination against migrants in any of its forms. Migration is a human right, not a crime. Therefore, we request the United States government an urgent reform of its migration policies in order to stop deportations and massive raids and allow for reunion of families. We further demand the removal of the wall that separates and divides us, instead of uniting us. In this regard, we petition for the abrogation of the Law of Cuban Adjustment and removal of the discriminatory, selective Dry Feet, Wet Feet policy that has claimed human losses. Bankers who stole the money and resources from our countries are the true responsible, not migrant workers. Human rights should come first, particularly human rights of the underprivileged, downtrodden sectors in our society, that is, migrants without identity papers. Free movement of people and human rights for everybody, regardless of their migration status, are a must for integration. Brain drain is a way of plundering skilled human resources exercised by rich countries.

10. Basic education, health, water, energy and telecommunications services should be declared human rights and cannot be subject to private deal or marketed by the World Trade Organization. These services are and should be essentially public utilities of universal access.

11. We wish a world where all, big and small, countries have the same rights and where there is no empire. We advocate non-intervention. There is the need to strengthen, as the only legitimate means for discussion and assessment of bilateral and multilateral agendas in the hemisphere, the foundations for mutual respect between states and governments, based on the principle of non-interference of a state in the internal affairs of another state, and inviolability of sovereignty and self-determination of the peoples. We request the new Government of the United States, the arrival of which has given rise to some expectations in the hemisphere and the world, to finish the longstanding and dire tradition of interventionism and aggression that has characterized the actions of the US governments throughout history, and particularly intensified during the Administration of President George W. Bush. By the same token, we request the new Government of the United States to abandon interventionist practices, such as cover-up operations, parallel diplomacy, media wars aimed at disturbing states and governments, and funding of destabilizing groups. Building on a world where varied economic, political, social and cultural approaches are acknowledged and respected is of the essence.

12. With regard to the US blockade against Cuba and the exclusion of the latter from the Summit of the Americas, we, the member states of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our America, reassert the Declaration adopted by all Latin American and Caribbean countries last December 16, 2008, on the need to end the economic, trade and financial blockade imposed by the Government of the United States of America on Cuba, including the implementation of the so-called Helms-Burton Act. The declaration sets forth in its fundamental paragraphs the following:

“CONSIDERING the resolutions approved by the United Nations General Assembly on the need to finish the economic, trade and financial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba, and the statements on such blockade, which have been approved in numerous international meetings.

“WE AFFIRM that the application of unilateral, coercive measures affecting the wellbeing of peoples and hindering integration processes is unacceptable when defending free exchange and the transparent practice of international trade.

“WE STRONGLY REPEL the enforcement of laws and measures contrary to International Law, such as the Helms-Burton Act, and we urge the Government of the United States of America to finish such enforcement.

“WE REQUEST the Government of the United States of America to comply with the provisions set forth in 17 successive resolutions approved by the United Nations General Assembly and put an end to the economic, trade and financial blockade on Cuba.”

Additionally, we consider that the attempts at imposing the isolation of Cuba have failed, as nowadays Cuba forms an integral part of the Latin American and Caribbean region; it is a member of the Rio Group and other hemispheric organizations and mechanisms, which develops a policy of cooperation, in solidarity with the countries in the hemisphere; which promotes full integration of Latin American and Caribbean peoples. Therefore, there is no reason whatsoever to justify its exclusion from the mechanism of the Summit of the Americas.

13. Developed countries have spent at least USD 8 billion to rescue a collapsing financial structure. They are the same that fail to allocate the small sums of money to attain the Millennium Goals or 0.7% of the GDP for the Official Development Assistance. Never before the hypocrisy of the wording of rich countries had been so apparent. Cooperation should be established without conditions and fit in the agendas of recipient countries by making arrangements easier; providing access to the resources, and prioritizing social inclusion issues.

14. The legitimate struggle against drug trafficking and organized crime, and any other form of the so-called “new threats” must not be used as an excuse to undertake actions of interference and intervention against our countries.

15. We are firmly convinced that the change, where everybody repose hope, can come only from organization, mobilization and unity of our peoples.

As the Liberator wisely said:

Unity of our peoples is not a mere illusion of men, but an inexorable decree of destiny. — Simón Bolívar

]]> By: Jeff http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/04/the-mighty-debt-purge-of-2009/#comment-44173 Jeff Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:04:45 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=7900#comment-44173 Mike says: "It will take years to reassemble the broken pieces or design a new financial architecture. It’s the end of an era." Correct. What do you think this financial architecture is called Mike? One World Finacial System. Everyone is talking about it! Do you control the monetary system of the world Mike? No you do not so therefore you either are too scared to tell reality, or you surely do not know. Biggest job recruiter in Canada: Armed Forces. Americans will comply to mandatory civil forces tenure under age 64. Welcome to the beginning of your future. You have paid the ultimate price for it. Happy Walmart shopping. Hope you will not have to stand in line to look at empty shelves. Actually could not care less. You all gave up your rights for Government Paid Privilege. Feel the anxiety coming on. Don't drain all your adrenalin at once. Mike says:
“It will take years to reassemble the broken pieces or design a new financial architecture. It’s the end of an era.”
Correct. What do you think this financial architecture is called Mike?
One World Finacial System.
Everyone is talking about it!
Do you control the monetary system of the world Mike?
No you do not so therefore you either are too scared to tell reality, or you surely do not know.
Biggest job recruiter in Canada: Armed Forces.
Americans will comply to mandatory civil forces tenure under age 64.
Welcome to the beginning of your future.
You have paid the ultimate price for it.

Happy Walmart shopping.
Hope you will not have to stand in line to look at empty shelves.
Actually could not care less. You all gave up your rights for Government Paid Privilege.

Feel the anxiety coming on.

Don’t drain all your adrenalin at once.

]]> By: Garo. http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/04/the-mighty-debt-purge-of-2009/#comment-44169 Garo. Thu, 23 Apr 2009 23:38:44 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=7900#comment-44169 These economists only deal with the effect. They do not know the cause or deliberately cover it with false information to throw dust to the eyes of the people. Like treatment of a disease, you have to discover the cause to cure it. Otherwise you will kill the patient. Sociology is a science: http://democracyandsocialism.com/Articles/WhyRecession.html These economists only deal with the effect. They do not know the cause or deliberately cover it with false information to throw dust to the eyes of the people. Like treatment of a disease, you have to discover the cause to cure it. Otherwise you will kill the patient. Sociology is a science:
http://democracyandsocialism.com/Articles/WhyRecession.html

]]> By: Abu Nurah http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/04/the-mighty-debt-purge-of-2009/#comment-44155 Abu Nurah Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:46:19 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=7900#comment-44155 Always great to read your perspective, Mike! What I hear you saying is 2 or more years until recovery. Not to make light of what no doubt will be a very painful process, but this is a far cry from the earlier articles where you predicted near armageddon (ie. a total collapse of the financial system). Did I simply misinterpret your articles, or has something changed in the way you perceive the crisis? Always great to read your perspective, Mike! What I hear you saying is 2 or more years until recovery. Not to make light of what no doubt will be a very painful process, but this is a far cry from the earlier articles where you predicted near armageddon (ie. a total collapse of the financial system). Did I simply misinterpret your articles, or has something changed in the way you perceive the crisis?

]]> By: Don Hawkins http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/04/the-mighty-debt-purge-of-2009/#comment-44154 Don Hawkins Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:43:00 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=7900#comment-44154 The whole thing is an obvious swindle papered over with gibberish, and active paranoiac thought, through which it will be possible to systematize confusion and contribute to the total discrediting of the world of reality is not something that will happen in the future but with us at this very moment. Watch the Senate the next month and it looks like cap and trade a band aid for the problem we all face may not even happen they can't even do that. When will enough be enough? Why is it that the problems we face can't be looked at with reason? MONEY. The whole thing is an obvious swindle papered over with gibberish, and active paranoiac thought, through which it will be possible to systematize confusion and contribute to the total discrediting of the world of reality is not something that will happen in the future but with us at this very moment. Watch the Senate the next month and it looks like cap and trade a band aid for the problem we all face may not even happen they can’t even do that. When will enough be enough? Why is it that the problems we face can’t be looked at with reason? MONEY.

]]> By: Michael Kenny http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/04/the-mighty-debt-purge-of-2009/#comment-44153 Michael Kenny Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:33:10 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=7900#comment-44153 "Recessions are a necessary purgative that cleanse the system of waste and excess." Is that not a defence of the very system Mr Whitney claims to be criticising? Reading too much of the Daily Telegraph can be dangerous to your health! “Recessions are a necessary purgative that cleanse the system of waste and excess.” Is that not a defence of the very system Mr Whitney claims to be criticising? Reading too much of the Daily Telegraph can be dangerous to your health!

]]> By: Abu Nurah http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/04/the-mighty-debt-purge-of-2009/#comment-44133 Abu Nurah Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:10:54 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=7900#comment-44133 Always great to read your perspective, Mike! What I hear you saying is 2 or more years until recovery. Not to make light of what no doubt will be a very painful process, but this is a far cry from the earlier articles where you predicted near armageddon (ie. a total collapse of the financial system). Did I simply misinterpret your articles, or has something changed in the way you perceive the crisis? Always great to read your perspective, Mike! What I hear you saying is 2 or more years until recovery. Not to make light of what no doubt will be a very painful process, but this is a far cry from the earlier articles where you predicted near armageddon (ie. a total collapse of the financial system). Did I simply misinterpret your articles, or has something changed in the way you perceive the crisis?

]]>